


Pint-Size and Bright Eyes

by chromyrose



Series: SASO 2017 [9]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Airplanes, Alternate Universe - Children, M/M, Meet-Cute, Parent-Child Relationship, Single Parents, Toddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 14:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11276856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromyrose/pseuds/chromyrose
Summary: When his son Shouyou starts to fuss shortly after the plane takes off, Daichi discovers that, to his luck, they've been seated next to a very handsome pediatrician.





	Pint-Size and Bright Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oseltamivir_phosphate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oseltamivir_phosphate/gifts).



> Prompt: "They're in an airplane and single dad Daichi can't get his four-year-old son Hinata to stop crying. But as luck would have it, he's seated next to a lovely pediatrician by the name of Sugawara who can magically calm kids down with one smile."
> 
> I love writing characters in parent/child relationships, and I love writing young characters, so this prompt screamed my name. I hope you enjoy it!

This isn't the first time Daichi's flown with Shouyou, or the second, and so as he's stowing his bags away and making sure Shouyou's seatbelt is buckled properly, he has confidence that this trip will go well. Shouyou himself is getting acquainted with his surroundings: the pocket in the back of the seat in front of him, the fold-up tray, and the view out of his window. Daichi takes in his seat, the middle of their row of three, and leans over his son to point out the crew members carting luggage out to the plane at a different gate, and then a plane that's taking off in front of their eyes. Shouyou is delighted by this, asking questions about the other plane's destination, if they're going to Obaa-san's house, too. Daichi hears a chuckle from behind him, and turns to see a figure stowing his luggage in the overhead compartment. When he closes the bin, Daichi can't help but notice how handsome he is, especially with the delighted smile on his face. 

“It looks like I'll be sitting next to you,” he says, with the right amount of polite apologeticness. “Don't worry about inconveniencing me if you need to get up for any reason, okay?” 

Daichi nods and thanks him, but his attention is arrested by his son again, as Shouyou squeals when the TV display in front of him lights up with a map. Daichi starts to explain that they're starting at this red dot, and flying to this red dot, where they'll get to see Ojii-san and Obaa-san until the pilot comes on over the loudspeaker and Shouyou listens to him with rapt attention. 

So far, so good. Daichi relaxes as much as he can in his seat, knowing that he's gotten through the worst of the day. Shouyou should be ready for a nap shortly after the plane takes off, and until then there's enough going on to keep him entertained. 

When the plane starts moving towards the runway, Shouyou gets so excited he turns to his father with the brightest eyes, almost glittering with anticipation; Daichi can hear the man beside him chuckle again, and he's grateful that this person seems to like kids.

They take off, and everything is great. Shouyou complains about his ears, but Daichi has a plan for this, and he starts a contest with his son to see who can yawn the biggest until Shouyou's yawning for real, which should alleviate whatever pressure he feels. To further encourage his son to nap, he wraps him up in the complimentary blanket and places the pillow by his head. Shouyou clutches the pillow tightly, which Daichi takes to be a good sign. He shuts his eyes and feebly yawns again. He kicks out his legs a few times, trying to get comfortable, and Daichi removes his son's sneakers so he can curl up the way he wants to more easily. 

In spite of all this, Shouyou doesn't get to sleep. After ten minutes of his fussing, he sits up, hair a mess of bright orange curls and lower lip pouted, and starts whimpering. Daichi lifts the arm rest between their seats and coaxes his son's head down into his lap, stroking his hair soothingly. He can feel his son's body get heavier, but instead of sleeping, Shouyou starts sobbing. 

“Toooooou-san!” He wails, smearing his tears on Daichi's pant leg. Daichi scoops Shouyou up, blanket and all, and sits him in his lap, letting his head rest on Daichi's collarbone. 

“What's wrong, Shouyou? Aren you sleepy?” 

Shouyou's cries only pick up in their intensity, and Daichi starts to worry about the inconvenience for the plane's other passengers. He's concerned that any minute now a stewardess will come over and ask if they need anything, no doubt prompted by complaints. His son just needs space, he's pretty sure, but space is the last luxury they have on an airplane.

“Excuse me,” a person says, but it's not a stewardess; it's the man sitting to Daichi's left. “I apologize for being presumptuous, but I think I can help.” 

“...Huh?” Daichi answers dumbly, as his son gets snot on his shirt. He's used to that, at least. 

The man, who Daichi now realizes is significantly younger than he'd assumed given his silver hair, smiles and leans over to make eye contact with Shouyou. “Hey there,” he says gently, with the practiced ease of a daycare teacher or a nurse. “Can you tell me what's wrong, little buddy?” 

Shouyou stops crying. He hiccups the last of the sobs away, and his big watery eyes stare at the stranger in confusion and wonder. The man is offering his hand out, and Daichi watches with awe himself as his son puts his tiny hand in his palm. 

“My name is Sugawara. You can call me Suga, because we're friends now. What's your name?”

“S-Shouyou...” he sniffles, and wipes his forearm along his wet, drippy nose. Daichi makes a mental note to bring out the baby wipes and clean him down. Right now, he's enraptured watching this exchange. 

Sugawara's smile is still vibrant, even with grubby toddler fingers in his hand. “It's nice to meet you, Shouyou. You've been such a good boy today, huh? If it's okay with your daddy, I'd like to give you a lollipop.” 

He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a little orange lollipop, holding it out halfway as he waits for Daichi's answer. Shouyou tugs at Daichi's shirt pleadingly. 

“Tou-san, please?” 

“Of course,” Daichi answers in a daze, impressed by how quickly this stranger soothed his son. Shouyou makes a happy noise and accepts the candy, then settles back against Daichi's chest and starts to eat it. “Don't forget to say 'Thank you,' Shouyou.”

“F'ank you,” Shouyou echoes dutifully around his treat. 

“You're welcome, Shouyou-kun,” Suga replies, smoothing his hair down before looking up at Daichi with the same smile. Daichi's heart does a funny thing in his chest. “I apologize for not introducing myself properly. I'm Sugawara Koushi – I'm a pediatrician.”

Daichi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. “Sawamura Daichi. Thank you for intervening when you did; Shouyou can get carried away easily.” 

Sugawara nods. “You're welcome, of course. Thank you for letting me. I got the feeling his ears might still be hurting, which is why I gave him the lollipop. I figured if that was the case, the swallowing would help them pop again. And even if it's not the case, the sucking might help him self soothe and take his nap. He's obviously tired.” 

“That's really smart. Wow. I guess it makes sense since you're a doctor. Thank you, Sugawara-sensei.” 

He laughs. “Just Suga is fine, I'm not at work. Though I am on my way to give a lecture, so perhaps I can work this anecdote into my talk?” 

“That's fine by me. As far as I'm concerned, you're a genius.”

“Ahh, that's too much, Sawamura-san, thank you.” 

“Hey, if I'm going to call you Suga, you have to call me Daichi. All my friends do.”

“Oh, so we're friends now?” Suga asks with an entirely different kind of smile that Daichi finds he might like even more than the first. Before he can answer, Shouyou slumps against him like a dead weight, sound asleep, and Daichi has to liberate the lollipop before it sticks to his person. 

When he's done with that, a witty retort has completely escaped him, so Daichi decides to be genuine. “I'd like to be. Friends.” 

“And you don't just want to use me for my excellent child-care skills?” 

Daichi laughs. “Those are definitely a bonus, but there's something else about you that I really, really want to get to know.”

“Oh, Daichi-san, which will your wife say?” 

And it's a reasonable assumption, one that Daichi often has to answer to, but this time there's no shame when he answers. “She won't, because I don't have one. It's just me and Shouyou.”

Suga's eyes sparkle; Daichi notices how unique their color is, somewhere between grey, green, and brown, and he wants to get closer. It's his son, a solid weight against his chest, that reminds him not to rush. 

“Will you be in Sendai long?” 

“We're going to visit my parents in Torono,” Daichi answers. “We'll be there for two weeks, to spend the holidays with them.” 

“Ah!” Suga brightens. “This is your hometown, then? Maybe, if you have the chance, you could show me around? But only if you have the time, I would hate to take you away from your family!” 

Daichi waves off the concern with a flick of his wrist. “Don't worry. If I throw Shouyou at my parents, they won't even notice I'm gone.” 

Suga laughs, and it's a wondrous sound that Daichi wants to bottle up, so he can hear it whenever his heart needs lifting. Then reaches into his bag again, this time pulling out a business card, which he scrawls something onto the back before holding it out. 

“My cell number,” Suga explains. “Since we can't use our phones on the plane. We're probably going to part ways in the airport when we get there, so I'm going to make you promise right now that you're going to call me.” 

Daichi looks down at the card, and the numbers look like more than just numbers; they look like a new, untrodden path. He grins. 

“I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, please let me know! You can find me online on [twitter](http://twitter.com/haikyuutiie).


End file.
